How To Make a Commercial for Social Media: 7 Steps

Companies spend over $2 billion a year on social media advertising, citing increased global exposure as one of the main benefits of posting ads online. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok encourage this type of content with features like sponsored posts and built-in shops to help brands increase sales.

If you’re interested in learning how to make a commercial for social media, check out our step-by-step method.

Why Should You Make a Social Media Video Commercial?

Companies of all sizes can produce social media commercials to connect with their ideal audiences, convey their message, and boost conversions. Here are a few reasons to try this marketing tactic.

Wider Reach

More than 80% of advertisers say increased exposure is the main benefit of running social media commercials. There are a few reasons these ads have such a wide reach:

• Large user bases — Billions of people use social media every day, spending most of their time on a few primary platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Promoting your brand on these sites gives you instant access to a massive audience.
• Targeted advertising — Platforms track audience demographics like location, age, and interest. Not only does this tell you who typically watches your content, but it also means you can specifically target ads to these groups. For instance, if you’re advertising an online thrift store for ladies’ clothes, you can tell YouTube to show ads exclusively to women between 18 and 30. Doing so lets you concentrate your advertising dollars on people most likely to be interested in purchasing your products and services.
• Paid priority and guaranteed distribution — When brands pay for ads, platforms ensure the commercials reach a set number of views or accounts. That means viewers are guaranteed to see your content, unlike with organic posts that rely on algorithm luck.‍
• Cross-platform placement — One ad can run in multiple spots, such as Instagram Reels, Stories, Explore, and Feed, all at once. This lets you reach a much wider audience on a single site. Plus, you can repost the same video ad across platforms, increasing exposure without extra production time.

Customizable Budget

Social media platforms let you set spending caps, such as limiting your entire ad account, overall campaigns, and individual commercials. This allows you to fine-tune your advertising budget to your specific needs and is particularly helpful for smaller businesses that don’t have millions of dollars to spend.

Best of all, social media lets you grow your brand presence completely for free. In this case, you wouldn’t pay to sponsor posts — instead, you’d just upload regular content on your business account and try to gain a following organically.

Of course, this method is harder and relies heavily on social media algorithms spreading your posts. It’s possible to create viral ads on your own, though, as seen by brands like Duolingo and Morning Brew. 

To make the video production process easier, try tools like Captions’ Video Ad Maker. Simply upload a link to your website and let AI do the rest.

What Makes a Good Commercial?

Although social media platforms excel at promoting your content, truly effective ads still need to turn casual browsers into loyal customers. Below are a few tips on making your commercials a success.

Strong Storytelling

Storytelling marketing uses relatable narratives to create emotional connections between brands and audiences. This makes products feel more meaningful and memorable. Effective storytelling features authentic characters, clear messages, and a strong sense of purpose, all tailored to the audience’s needs and interests.

Whether a small business shares the inspiration behind a handmade item or a large brand crafts a feel-good animated ad, the goal is the same: Show people a story they see themselves in. When done well, these ads increase sales and build long-term loyalty by showing that brands truly understand and value customers — not just their wallets.

High-Quality Visuals and Audio

Even if you’ve nailed the concept or storyline, poor production can ruin your commercial. Blurry visuals, shaky footage, or muffled audio can make your brand appear unprofessional, which might hurt potential customers’ perception of your products and services. Invest in good equipment and editing tools to elevate your ad’s quality.

How To Make a Video Commercial in 7 Steps

Creating a social media commercial isn’t about hitting the record button and hoping for the best. The process requires careful planning, creative thinking, and the right technical tools to make your video stand out. Here’s how to create a commercial your audience will love.

1. Research Your Target Audience

Before you start brainstorming post ideas, it’s important to consider exactly who you’re creating the commercial for. By defining your ideal audience, you can customize your commercial’s message, tone, and style to resonate with the people you want to reach.

To conduct audience research, review your social media metrics page and check your audience demographics. Platforms track information like viewers’ location, age, and other interests, so you’ll know who’s already interested in your channel and offerings. 

Next, check out your competitors’ profiles to see who typically comments on and likes their posts. Check out these followers’ accounts, as they may also be interested in your brand.

2. Understand Potential Customers’ Needs

Once you understand who you’re targeting, explore their pain points, which are specific problems or needs audiences are trying to address. There are several ways of going about this, including: 

• Running polls and surveys — There’s no better source of truth than the people you’re trying to target, so simply ask your followers what issues they’re facing and tailor ads to those needs.
• Reading customer reviews and comments — Scan feedback on your posts, website, and competitor pages to spot patterns in complaints and questions. This helps you understand what your audience actually cares about, so you can create ads that speak directly to their needs and frustrations.
• Checking common searches — Use tools like Google Keyword Planner and Semrush to conduct keyword research and understand what people are looking up in your niche. For instance, if “full pottery sets” is trending, you’d know to advertise entire dinnerware collections rather than individual mugs.
  

3. Brainstorm and Script

Once you have a clear idea of your audience, start brainstorming commercial ideas. Clarify your core message, what sets your product apart, and the tone you want to use.

Turn these ideas into a detailed video script to ensure your commercial hits all the key points. Depending on your budget and resources, consider hiring a professional copywriter to help with this.

Include a strong hook that grabs attention in the first few seconds so people don’t scroll past your ad. Also, add a clear call to action that directs viewers on what to do next. For example, you might want your audience to sign up for a webinar, purchase a new product, or attend an in-person event. 

If you’re struggling to write a script, let AI do the heavy lifting instead. Captions’ Video Script Generator turns simple ideas into fully fleshed-out transcripts automatically.

4. Find Your Talent

Whether you’re hiring actors or social media influencers to star in your ads, choose people who understand and support your brand’s values. This gives your ads an authentic edge, as each speaker’s passion for your mission will shine through. 

Another option is casting a digital avatar or AI influencer. These characters typically cost less and can be customized to fit your brand’s tone, making them a strong alternative to traditional advertising methods.

5. Source Necessary Equipment

You don’t need a Hollywood-level setup to make your own commercial — here are a few essential pieces of equipment:

• Camera or smartphone
• Tripod for steady shots
• External microphone for clear audio
• Lighting setup (including natural light if you’re on a budget)
  

6. Film and Edit

When filming your commercial, follow your script closely and capture multiple takes. For plenty of variety, take a mixture of wide, medium, and close-up shots. Make sure the audio is clear and free of background noise.

Once you have plenty of raw footage to work with, bring it to life through editing. Here are some tips to make your video engaging:

• Cut quickly between shots to maintain attention.
• Add background music to create an atmosphere.
• Include captions to improve accessibility and engagement.

If you don’t have any editing experience, there’s no need to worry — use Captions' AI Video Editor instead. Our platform handles all the hard work for you. Just upload your footage, choose an editing style, and let AI polish your post.

7. Check Feedback and Results

Publish your commercials across platforms, then track metrics such as engagement, click-through rates, and audience retention to see which ads perform best. 

Use these insights to plan future commercials and improve your strategy. For example, if people tend to click off the video quickly, this suggests your hook isn’t strong enough. So, in future posts, you could open with catchier statistics or fun questions to improve watch time.

Improve Your Video Commercials With Captions

A well-planned commercial drives engagement, builds brand recognition, and increases conversion rates. With Captions, creating high-quality social media commercials and ads is easier than ever.

Our intuitive tools, including the AI Video Ad Creator, Product Video Maker, and Video Quality Enhancer, fast-track the production process. Using AI lets you produce ads at scale, growing your social media presence and boosting brand awareness faster. 

Create impactful video commercials with Captions today.